


First Impressions

by Vocachuuu



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Anxiety, Depression, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, You doesnt know how to subtly flirt, aqours didn't exist, if you squint you can see that yoshiko has anxiety, not like INTENSE depression but its mentioned, slightly OOC yoshiko, the angst is all yoshiko tbh, theres barely any chikariko but its there, yoshiko hates herself, you can see it if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-15 22:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11815677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vocachuuu/pseuds/Vocachuuu
Summary: A world where Chika never fell in love with idols, and thus the nine girls never came together.At the age of eighteen, everyone gets a sentence naturally imprinted on their body. The sentence reads the first thing your soulmate had ever said - or will say - to you.





	First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like Aqours really 'saved' Yoshiko, in a way. Chika and the others really helped her learn to accept herself for who she is, and not force herself to be someone she's not. without meeting Chika, i think Yoshiko's life would have taken a pretty dark turn. she wouldnt have been able to accept herself, thus causing her to hate herself, and so forth. 
> 
> this is why she's probably a bit ooc in this fic, because without learning to accept the fallen angel part of herself, she wouldn't be the yohane we all know and love in the anime.
> 
> ANYWAYS THOUGH! enough of my rambling. i really enjoyed writing this, and i hope you guys like it too!!

It happened one afternoon, without warning. About a week following her eighteenth birthday, after swimming practice, her shoulder burned. No, not from sunburn, or even a pulled muscle - the sensation danced along her skin, across her right shoulder. She yelped a bit at first, but when the realization hit her, she sped to her bedroom.

Stumbling up the stairs, You took a quick turn to her room, yanking her shirt off and trying to see the mark in the mirror. It reflected backwards, but she could still make out what it said, and frowned at it.

_“...Please leave me alone.”_

That was what would be burned into her skin for the rest of her life? God, everyone will think her soulmate is an asshole!

She sank to the ground, still shirtless, back turned to the mirror. What kind of first impression is that, telling someone to go away? Didn’t people care that they could possibly be talking to their soulmate?! At least say something memorable!

You lowered her head to her hands, groaning. Who had ever even said that to her? There was that one time in primary school, a number of times during high school, even people at her swim practices who were upset over a failed dive!

It was no use. She wouldn’t be able to find the person - no, not now. After all, if the person didn’t want to talk to her back then…. Why would it have been any different now?

She shook her head. Maybe Chika knew - after all, the orange-haired girl was with You for most of their high school days! Maybe she remembered specific cases of people snapping at her to go away.

-

Chika didn’t know. They even called some old high school friends, but no one knew. She didn’t sweat it; You wouldn't let it bring her down! She was on national television and written about in articles thanks to her being a famous swimmer, so surely someday her soulmate will see her and come to her…

Right?

-

Tsushima Yoshiko got her soulmate mark etched onto her skin right on her eighteenth birthday. She woke up at an ungodly hour, when the sun barely peeked over the horizon, cringing at the burning sensation on her left shoulder. She just clenched her teeth and waited; once the burning settled to a small tingle, she let out a small sigh, shutting her eyes once more.

She didn’t want to deal with it so early.

Upon waking up, she found she didn’t want to deal with it then, either - but she decided to check anyways, because even if she didn’t want a soulmate, curiosity ate at her.

So, Yoshiko unbuttoned the top of her nightdress, sliding it down to reveal her shoulders, and took a glance in her mirror.

She read the words carefully, and immediately pulled her dress back up and walked away from the mirror. Her body fell onto her mattress in an almost lifeless manner, and she buried her face into her pillow.

She groaned loudly, eyes squeezed shut. She knew exactly who had said those words to her - even if it was three years prior, she remembered the moment perfectly. Thinking about it nearly brought her to tears.

“Why? Why am I such… Such an idiot?” She mumbled into the soft fabric beneath her. Her late alarm buzzed loudly, and she almost let out a defeated sob, lifting herself from the bed.

Time for work. With such a heavy heart, too - oh, God must have been utterly pissed at Yohane to do this to her.

Suddenly, Yoshiko flew upright, slapping her own cheeks a few times to bring herself to reality. “No, no, no! Y-Yoshiko, your name is not Yohane! Yo-shi-ko!!” She was almost scolding herself as she spoke in the empty room. “Fallen angels aren’t real… Jeez, quit it with these stupid fantasies…”

She stood from her bed, frowning at the tousled covers, but not bothering to fix them. Instead, she just got dressed, choosing from her small collection of clothes in the dresser. Her eyes crept to her large closet, but she shook her head quickly. No more fallen angel fashion, she repeated to herself mentally as she clothed herself.

She worked part time at a video game store - nothing big, but it got her money. Speaking with the customers, she couldn’t stop thinking about the stupid words on her shoulder - she wished she never read them.

It was ridiculous, after all. Of course - confused, depressed, and stupid fifteen-year-old Yoshiko had to snap at her soulmate. Her soulmate who was so much better than her, so much more talented, had so much more potential… It wasn’t fair. Yoshiko hated it.

Yoshiko was regular, run-of-the-mill Yoshiko. Her only quirk was the fallen angel side of her, Yohane - but she hated it, hated that side of her.

Truthfully, she hated both the Yoshiko and Yohane parts of herself. One was too normal, one was ridiculous.

Yoshiko saw You on the TV often after their first encounter. She even ended up getting rid of her cable to get the image of the girl out of her sight - yet, there were still articles about her online, in the newspapers, literally every magazine had at least a small section that told of Watanabe You’s new achievements.

Tsushima Yoshiko; the regular, anti-social, boring girl, was fated to spend the entire remainder of her life with Watanabe You; a talented, shining, kind hearted girl who was famous for her swimming.

Watanabe You; a beautiful girl with a stunning figure, lovely short locks of hair, eyes that shone even in the most dreary of times. The positive girl who tried to help others, even pathetic first years who spent their school days either skipping class or sulking on the roof. The girl who was disrespected by a girl one year younger, and all because she tried to help.

“Tsushima-san! You’re on break!” Someone called from the door leading to the backroom, causing the girl to almost cry in relief. She bowed to her, and walked with a false smile until she got to the bathroom.

Yoshiko wanted to just cry, but she wouldn’t. No - she couldn’t. Not now, when she wasn’t wearing waterproof makeup and only had a thirty minute break.

Maybe later she would. Maybe later.

-

“You-chan, please just pick it up for me on your way back? I’ll pay you!” Chika begged over the phone. You was walking home from practice, and a new game came out the night before. Chika had said she would “literally die” if You didn’t grab it for her right at that moment - which the swimmer doubted but, hey, she was a sucker for her best friend.

“Fine, fine! I can’t even see you and I know you’re doing that stupid puppy dog face, quit it!” She exclaimed, not caring what the passing people thought of her.

Chika gave her thanks and hung up, leaving You to go into the store and hopefully not butcher the name of the game. She turned and pulled open the glass doors, immediately going to the front desk.

The girl standing on the other side was watching the computer monitor closely, but once she sensed the presence of another person, she looked up. You was immediately concerned for the poor girl once she did look up, though - her face paled slightly, and she went rigid.

It took a split second for her to relax slightly - but You could tell she was still incredibly on edge.

“G-good afternoon,” the girl stammered out, and God, even her smile looked forced. What was up with her?

“Hi!” You greeted. She froze however, eyes narrowing at the girl. Deja vu suddenly hit her like a bus. “Wait…”

She knew this girl. She recognized everything about her, like she had studied her or something. It took a few seconds of deep thinking, but the realization finally hit her.

“Ts-Tsushima-san?!” She exclaimed, taken aback. Yoshiko cringed at the name, nodding curtly.

“Yeah… Hello, um, Watanabe-san…”

Not much had changed about her. You had been invested in Tsushima Yoshiko since her second year of high school - not in a stalker-ish way, though. She was actually just really concerned for the girl, and every day she came onto the roof to check on her. Just to make her she was alright. Whenever she approached the younger, however…

You was told to leave her alone.

Now, she looked almost identical to how she used to - but she had become even slimmer. That was all, really - though, You didn’t deny that no matter how Yoshiko looked, she was always ethereal. She almost looked like a doll - porcelain skin, perfectly-styled hair, slim, petite figure. It was much different from You; her body was more toned, and her skin was tanner. She also wouldn’t be able to keep her hair as precise as Yoshiko’s even if she wanted to.

“It’s been so long! Are you doing alright?” You asked, cheery demeanor not faltering. She was usually decent at deciphering people's emotions - but Yoshiko was completely shut off.

“You could say that, yes…” The smaller girl nodded again. “I’ve seen your, er, accomplishments, you could say. I’m assuming you’re doing well..”

You grinned for a moment, a mischievous glint in her eye. Was Yoshiko keeping up on the updates of You’s swimming tournaments?

“Yep! Things have been going smoothly for the most part.” The older smiled, but Yoshiko just looked down at the desk. You cleared her throat, hoping to catch her attention. “Well, I’d really like to catch up on things! But you’re working right now, so…” You paused, pulling a paper and pen from her bag and scribbling on the small scrap. “Maybe call me later? We can get together for dinner, or something.”

Yoshiko froze, breath hitching in her throat for a moment, but she took the offered paper with a slightly-shaky grip. “I-I’ll… Take the offer into consideration. Thank you…”

You smiled softly, and Yoshiko tried to not avert her gaze again. The way the girl got her heart racing with such a simple gesture - Yoshiko hated it. She hated it, but actually, kind of loved it at the same time.

“Oh, crap, right! Uh, I’m here to buy something!” You exclaimed suddenly. Yoshiko gave the smallest smile at the other - and the professional swimmer was sure not to miss it.

In fact, You soaked up that small curve of her lips for as long as it lasted, until it fell back into that emotionless state. She didn’t know why, but seeing that tiny, genuine smile made her feel more accomplished than any gold trophy ever had.

-

“Chika-chan!” You cried out, voice almost desperate. “Why hasn’t she called yet, Chika-chan? Did I say something wrong? Did I come off as too strong?”

You was a wreck. There she was, sitting in her best friend’s room at almost two on the morning. Just earlier that day, she gave Yoshiko her phone number - and she still hadn’t called!

“You-chan, you gotta chill out!” Chika grabbed her shoulders, forcing the girl to look at her. “I think she’s just shy. It’ll take more than giving her your number to break through her shell.”

“Y-you sure…?” You asked, voice slightly shaky. Chika nodded.

“Don’t you remember how she was in high school? Didn’t she tell you to go away whenever you approached her?”

You nodded, thinking back to all the rejections. “Yeah. And she said it the same way each time, in the same tone of voice, like a broken record…”

“You, what did she say exactly?” A voice inquired, though it wasn’t Chika’s voice. You turned to the source - Sakurauchi Riko, her second best friend and Chika’s soulmate.

“Oh, um… It was something polite, but cold, like… Please leave me alone…” You let the words fall from her mouth, thinking about them carefully, before gasping.

“You-chan! What’s wrong?” Chika asked, caught off guard by her best friend’s sudden realization. Blue orbs just stared off into space, widened with shock.

Yoshiko was her soulmate.

-

_“You-chan, are you sure it's alright to bother her?” Riko asked, voice quiet. “She seems to… Not like being around people.”_

_“It’ll be fine. I just wanna check on her,” You reminded the pianist. “Plus… Even if she snaps at me, or rejects me, I don’t think I’ll mind. I’m just a little concerned.”_

_With that, she opened the door to the roof, quietly stepping up and closing it. As she suspected, the first year was sitting in the far corner, watching her phone intently. You took a deep breath, trying not to pay attention to how attractive the younger girl was. No, she was only here to make sure Tsushima was alright…_

_“Hey, are you feeling alright?” She asked in a gentle voice. It almost felt like she was talking to a scared animal, coaxing it to come to her._

_Scarlet eyes flickered up at her, nearly emotionless. “...Please leave me alone. I’m fine.”_

_You didn’t show how discouraged she felt. She just smiled, nodding._

_“Alright, thank you,” was all she said before walking away._

-

Yoshiko laid still on her back, eyes glued to the ceiling like it was the best thing since sliced bread. If she slept now, she’d get about five hours of well-needed shut eye - but how could she? Not with how nauseous she felt, and with the thoughts swimming through her mind. Should she have called You? Would she regret not calling her? Did the girl hate her now?

Yoshiko frowned. Would You come back to the store? Or was the whole giving her phone number just her being respectful? Did You hate her?

Yoshiko flipped herself over, shoving her face into her pillow and groaning. She needed a distraction - what good would overthinking the situation do her?

What could she do to get the girl off her mind, though? Hesitantly, she rose into a sitting position, looking around her room. Magenta eyes landed on her closet, and she paused.

Trying on one of her old outfits wouldn’t hurt, right? It wouldn’t be lying if she said her fallen angel clothes gave her comfort, but she forced herself away from them. She was an adult; the fallen angel getup was bad enough in middle school, let alone when she’s eighteen years old.

One outfit wouldn’t hurt though.

-

She was back on the afternoon shift like always. The store was going slowly - which she was thankful for, considering her mental state at the moment.

She busied herself by scrolling through different social medias on her phone, making sure to glance up every now and then to check for customers. There was a lot on the news - one thing to catch her eye in particular was a live stream. More specifically, a live stream of a diving competition. Maybe, just maybe, if she wasn’t working, she would have watched it. However, that wasn’t the case - and just as the entrance to the store opened, she scrolled past and shut her phone off.

_She’s better off without someone like me_ , Yoshiko convinced herself. I’d just hold her back.

-

After work ended, the went home immediately, dressing into casual clothes and falling onto her bed. Pulling out her phone, she went onto Twitter - and immediately regretted it.

In bold letters, where the news usually was, it read clear as day: **19 Year Old Watanabe You Takes Hard Blow During Competition, Possibly Puts Career in Jeopardy?!**

Before Yoshiko could even find out what that meant, she was fumbling for the paper on her nightstand, carefully typing the numbers into her phone and cradling it by her ear. It wasn’t what she thought, right? It couldn’t have been.

It rang twice before someone picked up.

“Uh, You-chan isn’t here right now… Who is this?” An unfamiliar voice asked from the other line. Yoshiko rolled her eyes, assuming it was a friend of You or something.

“My name is, er - Tsushima Yoshiko. Is Watanabe-san d-doing alright? What happened..?” Her voice was shaking slightly, she knew it was - but was it anxiety or concern? Not even Yoshiko herself knew.

“Y-Yoshiko-san?!” The girl stammered, obviously not expecting her of all people to call.

“I-is it not a good time?” Yoshiko asked, voice getting quieter. There was a lot of shuffling on the other line.

“No, you’re fine! Actually, You-chan would love to see you right now, want me to send you the hospital’s location..?”

Yoshiko nearly choked on air - that was awfully forward. They were nothing more than acquaintances, why did You want her there?

“That’s okay?” Yoshiko questioned. “I didn’t think she’d… Want many people there. Especially when she isn’t feeling w-”

“She said it would make her feel a lot better with you there.”

She frowned.

_Well played, Watanabe You. Well played._

“Okay, uh… Text me the address, please.”

-

“Yoshiko!” You exclaimed, beaming at the girl the second she opened the door. The younger almost choked on air again, shocked by her sudden use of first names.

“Are you… Okay?” She asked cautiously, taking a few careful steps towards the hospital bed. She nodded, smile never fading.

“Just screwed up a dive. Wasn’t thinking straight, that’s all.” Blue hues watched Yoshiko so warmly - even if she wanted to break eye contact, she couldn’t. No one had ever looked at her with such a comforting gaze, not in the way that You did.

“I’m glad you’re doing fine,” Yoshiko said in a low voice, hesitantly sitting in a chair beside the bed. Silence dominated the room, with Yoshiko watching her lap, trying to find the words to say. You watched her with a calm gaze, waiting, listening to a nearby machine beep every few seconds. Yoshiko swallowed audibly, taking a small breath to relax her body and turned away before speaking. “Was it… My fault?”

“Huh? No way!” You startled, sitting up slightly. Of anything Yoshiko’s mind could have come up with in those few moments of silence, You was not expecting that. “How could it have been your fault?”

“I thought maybe… I upset you. By not calling you.” Yoshiko kept her answer brief, not bothering to look up. She didn’t have to see You’s expression to know she was right.

The older girl gave a small smile, despite knowing Yoshiko wouldn't see it. “Hey… I don’t blame you. I kinda.. Came on a bit strong. I do that a lot, eheh…” She scratched the back of her neck, giving an apologetic grin.

“No, it’s fine, you didn’t come on too strong!” Yoshiko assured her, finally looked up. She paused, and then chuckled. “Uh, maybe a little, actually… But it’s not like I didn’t wanna call you. I just didn’t know what to say…”

You chuckled quietly, eyes never leaving the other girl. _It’s now or never_ , she decided, mentally wishing herself good luck before speaking. Whether Yoshiko snapped at her or not, she figured it was worth a shot.

“Well, wanna know how you can, like, make it up to me?” You grinned as she spoke, and Yoshiko cocked her head in confusion.

“What?”

“Can I have, like, a teeny-tiny kiss on the cheek? Pretty please?”

Yoshiko actually did choke on air that time, covering her mouth as she caught her breath. “O-okay, _that’s_ coming on strong!”

“Will you?” You asked, watching her with loving, ocean-colored eyes.

Yoshiko paused, biting at her lip as she thought. Should she?

_Should I?_

She did.

Swallowing hard and pushing any doubts into the back of her mind, Yoshiko stood up, leaning over the edge of the bed towards You. Her lips lightly pressed against the skin of her cheek; it was so warm, so soft, she almost didn’t want to pull away. She did though, quickly pulling her head back and glancing away. God, her cheeks were probably bright red.

She took a small glance back at You. There was a huge smile on her face, and a hand was placed gently over her cheek.

“Yoshiko-chan!! That was so nice. You’re cute…”

“Y-You, you’re coming on a bit strong again…”

“How can I not? Don’t blame me! You’re just too cute.”

“W-Well, of course I’m cute! If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have been banished from th-”

Yoshiko paused. She opened her mouth to apologize, but You’s small giggle cut her off.

“See? Look at you. Too adorable.” She was still smiling, watching Yohane with those welcoming eyes again. The blue-haired female watched her, multiple emotions coursing through her. If You had to give a single name to how she looked, her answer would be horrified. Yoshiko looked horrified of what had come out of her mouth, and You’s response made her look more panicked - no, not panicked. Confused was a better word.

“That wasn’t odd to you?” She asked, hesitant. Yohane had accidentally slipped out again, ruining the moment.

“No. Weren’t you like that in high school, too? It’s unique. Cute. I like it.”

Yoshiko stayed quiet. If she spoke, she’d probably burst into tears. Happy tears, of course.

“Yoshiko? You know what we are, right?” You asked, almost uncertainly. Yoshiko didn’t look back, nodding.

“Sorry for giving you such a shitty soulmate mark.”

“Shitty? No, I wouldn’t say that… It doesn’t matter what it says, it matters who said it.” You waited, watching Yoshiko until she looked back up at her. “I’m glad you’re my soulmate, you know. I’ve always liked you.”

“E-eh?!” Yoshiko let out the small noise of confusion, looking down at her feet. “Why me? Wait, that sounded badー”

“Yoshiko!” Her tone sounded a bit reprimanding, almost; like she was scolding Yoshiko. “You’re really pretty. Your voice is also really pretty - even if you were always telling me to go away, I liked to hear you speak, so I didn’t mind…”

“That sounds masochistic, You.”

“I-I’m notー!” You cut herself off, falling into a fit of laughter. Yoshiko joined her, chuckling quietly at the girl. Once she calmed down, You looked back up at Yoshiko. “D-don’t get me off track! Like I was saying - there’s a lot of things to like about you, Yoshiko. I want to… Get to know you more, and learn all of the other great things about you. Both you and, um… Yohane, was it..?”

Yoshiko just nodded while looking down, speechless. It took her a moment, but she regained her composure and stepped towards the bed once more.

“I’m allowed to hug you, right? Th-that’s okay, right?”

“Just do it already, you dork!”

Yoshiko chuckled, hurriedly leaning down and wrapping her arms around the older. You leaned forwards, holding her as close as her current position permitted, head buried in the crook of her neck.

Yoshiko didn’t allow herself to cry, but a small sob did slip out. It's not like she could help it - how else would she react?

You just held her tighter, pulled her closer, and Yoshiko could feel her smile against her shoulder.

Maybe Yoshiko could be herself. Maybe she could be happy, as long as You was there with her.

**Author's Note:**

> i have a twitter that i take writing requests on! my username is @y0hanesh0ukan, feel free to check it out!


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